Happy Friday! Time for another “Real Life Dreamer” story! Our fifth story is from Natalie. I’m really excited for her to share her story of pursuing her passion with you. This girl has a gift and I hope you’ll be inspired.

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Hi friends! My name is Natalie, and I am the owner behind the NS Pottery shop and blog. I am SO excited to have this opportunity to share my story for Heather’s “Real Life Dreamers” series!! (Thank you, Heather!!!) Before I talk about my dream, I want to give you a little background on my life before I realized my dream.

I experienced the hardest year of my life when I was a junior in high school. I suffered from severe anxiety, and I think that is a big reason why I fell in love with the art of pottery making. I was taking Ceramics 1 that year, and while I loved every art class I had (and tried to take as many as possible), there was something about pottery that stole my heart. It was the process. It was being so wrapped up in creating that my mind felt safe.

When I graduated from high school, I had NO IDEA what I wanted to do with my life, which is why I didn’t go to college. Why go if you don’t know what you would go for? That summer, I saw an article in a Better Homes and Gardens magazine about a pottery studio in Georgia, complete with colorful photos of stacks of pottery dishes.

It was my dream.

A couple months later, I saw an ad in a local paper for a pottery open house/fall show at a studio about 20 minutes from my house, so I convinced my mom to go with me, and there I talked to the owner/class instructor about classes and SIGNED UP!

Fast forward 5 years and here I am, with my own business. I work two other very part time jobs (about 8 hours a week), so I would love to be running my shop and blog completely full time someday soon. Sure I’m not a millionaire, but I’m doing what I love and that is worth more to me than any amount of money.

I can’t tell you how many things I look back on now and can say without a shadow of a doubt that God has had His hand in all of this- working out the countless obstacles I have faced.He always has a purpose and a perfect plan.We don’t need to know what tomorrow holds. He has that all figured out for us. We just need to be faithful with today.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. -Jeremiah 29:11love.Natalie